Six out of ten women who suffer sexual violence in Lebanon refrain from reporting it for “honour” reasons, according to a local organization, which called for tougher penalties for sexual violence crimes during a demonstration in front of Parliament.
The “Abaad” organization called the demonstration as part of a campaign titled “No Show, No Shame” on the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on 25 November.
Ghida Anani of the organization, which every year launches campaigns against violence against womenUnfortunately, sexual assault crimes in Lebanon are still related to the issue of honour, honor and shame.
In a statement, he underlined the need to look at these crimes “outside the stereotypical social context and face them resolutely”.
Dozens of women, including survivors of sexual assaults, demonstrated in front of Parliament in central Beirut, demanding “tougher penalties for crimes of sexual violence”.
Campaign organizers wrote slogans in red on clothes and white sheets they hung near parliament, including “I want a law that takes my rights and punishes the rapist” and “Justice for survivors”.
Abaad reported, according to a study she conducted, that six out of ten women who experience sexual assault do not report it “for honor and honor.”
The study also reported that more than 70 percent of women surveyed believe society believes assaulting women is an assault “on family honor first and foremost.”
In 2017, human rights organizations scored a victory by abolishing a controversial legal provision in the Lebanese parliament that exempts a rapist from punishment if he marries his victim, following a civil campaign.
Human rights organizations are still calling for the abolition of two other articles, one of which provides that “anyone who has relations with a minor under the age of fifteen is punished with temporary forced labour”, and the other is punished with a short term imprisonment or fine for “seducing a girl with promises of marriage and deflowering her”.
Lebanese-American model, Nour Arida, attended the vigil and raised a banner calling on members of the Lebanese parliament to hold the perpetrators accountable.
And under the hashtag “No Show or Shame”, the Lebanese actress Carmen Lebbos commented in a tweet posted on her official Twitter page with the following words: “5 out of 10 Lebanese women who have suffered sexual violence have not reported this assault because their families refused because of show and honor From a national statistical study conducted by the Abaad organization during the year 2022 on sexual violence in Lebanon and its reporting.
In turn, Lebanese journalist Ghadi Francis published an image indicating that 55% of women who have experienced sexual violence in Lebanon have not reported what happened to them.
